There are twelve consonants in Myaamiaataweenki and eight vowels. Most of the consonants and vowels have sounds similar to those in English. Preaspirated consonants do not exist in English. Typically these sound like a short puff of air, like an h sound, before the following consonant. In addition there are some unique sounds in Myaamiaataweenki that occur when specific consonants get grouped together in a word. Each of these sound types are broken down for you below in four tables. Each table has three columns: the symbol used to depict the sound on the left, an example Myaamia word with the symbol bolded and blue, and an example English word if available with the corresponding sound bolded and blue. Each Myaamia example word is also linked to the corresponding entry on the Myaamia Online Dictionary where you can hear the word spoken.
Vowels
Symbol | Myaamia Example Word | As in English |
---|---|---|
a | aya ‘hello’ | papaya |
aa | aapooši ‘again’ | pop |
e | kiinte ‘hold on’ | bet |
ee | neewe ‘thank you’ | lay |
i | hoci ‘hey’ | big |
ii | kiinte ‘hold on’ | seen |
o | hoci ‘hey’ | no |
oo | moohci ‘no’ | moose |
Consonants
Symbol | Myaamia Example Word | As in English |
---|---|---|
p | aapooši ‘again’ | poodle |
t | tipeewe ‘good’ | tip |
k | kiinte ‘hold on’ | keep |
c | hoci ‘hey’ | church |
s | siipiiwi ‘river’ | see |
š | aapooši ‘again’ | show |
h | hoci ‘hey!’ | hit |
m | moohci ‘no’ | moon |
n | kiinte ‘hold on’ | next |
l | ilweelo ‘say it!’ | leave |
w | neewe ‘thank you’ | wish |
y | aya ‘hello’ | yawn |
Preaspirated Consonants
Symbol | Myaamia example Word | As in English |
---|---|---|
hp | paahpilo ‘play!’ | no comparison |
ht | eehteeki ‘it is there’ | ” |
hk | teepahki ‘it’s good’ | ” |
hs | nimihsa ‘my older sister’ | ” |
hš | iihši ‘my younger sibling!’ | ” |
hc | moohci ‘no’ | ” |
Consonant Clusters
Symbol | Myaamia Example Word | As in English |
---|---|---|
nk | iinka ‘mother’ | linger |
nt | kiinte ‘hold on’ | tinder |
nc | miincipi ‘corn’ | conjure |
ns | weenswiaani ‘my name is’ | frenzy |
nš | pinšiwa ‘cat’ | ninja |
mp | ampihsaalo ‘jump!’ | lumber |
m[vowel]s | masaana ‘thread’ | (-maz-) |
n[vowel]s | lenaswa ‘buffalo’ | (-naz-) |
m[vowel]š | ahsenaamiši ‘sugar maple’ | (-mizh-) |
n[vowel]š | taaniši ‘which, how’ | (-nizh-) |
Updated: August 5, 2022